About Me

My Name Is Peggy, And I'm A Biblioholic

It started early. Pat the Bunny seemed so simple. So safe. And then I met Dick and Jane, and sure, I knew that it could be habit-forming, but not me. I could stop any time I wanted to. Really.

And then they hooked me up with the Doctor. A few hits of Green Eggs and Ham and I was hooked, and hooked hard. I read everything I could get my hands on, and before you know it, I was a print junkie, jonesing for a story fix and strung out on words.

They say the first step to getting better is admitting you have a problem. Well, that ain't what you're gonna get here, darlin'! This is my safe haven to express my love of books, authors, and the act of reading, and I'm damn well gonna wallow in it.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the final week of our little Throwdown. As of right now, I have a slight lead (85.48 TO 85.2), but obviously anything can happen. The response from my friends and the reading world has been awesome, but I'm even starting to see a response from parents and grandparents in the area, leading me to believe that this might be year one of an annual event. I could get behind that.

So if you wanted to send a card or letter but just haven't gotten around to it yet, now is the time--your words of encouragement might be just what Team Everyone Else needs to put me away for good and forever dash my dream of owning a sparkly Shrieking Flying Monkey.

As for me, ArmadilloCon severely curtailed my reading time by being especially awesome this year. I got to spend time with good friends, talk about movies and books, and even attend a screening of Christmas With the Dead (visit them on FaceBook here). I also bought a beautiful edition of Charles Finney's The Circus of Dr. Lao signed by Finney. All in all a fabulous weekend, but not one where I got a lot of reading done. Still, I did finish one book.

Enchanted Glass by Diana Wynne Jones is the story of an absent-minded professor who inherits his grandfather's house and lands without realizing that he is now responsible for magically protecting the grounds and everyone on them. It's both a fun read and a funny one, with characters you'll enjoy spending time with and a gentle, quick-moving story.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Hello again, my bookish friends. Sorry for the delayed update, but I am at a convention and computer time is hard to come by.

I have no idea what happened at the library today, but when I left on Thursday, I had surged into the lead by about 10 books (500 pages or so). Still, reading time is hard to come by here, so chaos may await me Monday morning.

Having enjoyed Graceling despite my brain's best efforts to mash it up with The Hunger Games, I next tackled Kristin Cashore's Fire. A companion to Graceling rather than a sequel, Fire takes us to an unfamiliar kingdom where Gracelings don't exist, but where some animals are a riotous rainbow of new colors and some humans are "monsters" with the ability to control people's minds.

I like Cashore's storytelling, but I have to admit that I liked the world of Graceling better than that of Fire. This gives me high hopes for her most recent book, Bitterblue, which is, in fact a sequel to Graceling (albeit one which takes place 12 years or so afterwards).

I also finished Brian Selznick's Wonderstruck, which was awesome. I love the way Selznick chooses to tell his story, with one character's more modern part told in words and another's older story told in pictures. I don't know about you, but when I read, I "hear" the book in my head as if it's being read aloud. Obviously, I don't "hear" pictures, I just see them. The main character in the earlier story is deaf, so it is an extra layer of cool that the voiceover is silenced during her part. The words and pictures eventually come together and I love it. If you're caught up enough in the story and the characters, coincidences become moments of wonder rather than moments that jar you out of the story.

Finally, I picked up Book of Secrets by Chris Roberson. When not remolding the comics industry into something more to his liking (and writing for series as varied as Superman, Fables, and I, Zombie), Chris is a pretty awesome novelist. I've read a lot of his stuff, and always look forward to reading the next one. Book of Secrets is what The DaVinci Code would read like if it were written by a ridiculously smart guy with a snarky sense of humor and a real talent for crafting prose. Shadowy organizations that have existed through the ages, aging cat burglars, flirty mob princesses, computer hackers, Odin-worshippers----what more do you want?

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Team Everyone Else continues to hold a slight lead in the contest (58.52 books to 56.04 books). We've had more kids sign up to play, so I have my work cut out for me, especially as I'll be hanging out at ArmadilloCon this weekend. But I am awfully stubborn, so don't count me out yet.

Our local Wal-Mart (Wal-Mart #524) and Pico (Pico #22) have climbed on board to help us with our party (assuming Team Everyone Else can pull it off; if not, I'm getting my Shrieking Flying Monkey BeDazzled), and yet more cards and letters have arrived, this time from the Netherlands (Hi Rachelle!). Your support for this little slice of madness has been nothing short of amazing, and I'm grateful.

Last night I finished Kristin Cashore's Graceling, which I really liked. The characters were well-drawn, the action was stirring, and the plot moved right along. However, I kept getting pulled out of the story because my stupid brain kept trying to confuse it with The Hunger Games: Katsa vs. Katniss, Po vs. Peeta, lovestruck boy and loveblind girl, arrows flying everywhere, and so forth. I'm not trying to say the two books are alike, or that any of this was deliberate; just that I'd already read Hunger Games, so the surface similarities really struck me.

I also put away Diary of a Wimpy Kid 03: The Last Straw. While I really enjoyed the first Wimpy Kid book, I don't see me keeping up with the series. What was cute and funny once now kind of drags (for me--I can totally see why kids dig it and continue to read it). I guess I just need a little more variety these days.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Hello there, fellow print junkies. Team Everyone Else and I are neck and neck (44.54 bks to 44.24 bks), so I'll be staying in to get some reading done tonight. Before I go, though, I wanted to share my thoughts on the last two books I've read.

Zuk's book has a lot going for it. There are some genuinely fascinating things that insects do that most of us aren't familiar with because we avoid any interaction with them. Zuk believes that her subject is important, but it's clear that she'd be talking about insects anyway because she loves them (not as much as Richard Fortey loves trilobites, but I'm not sure anybody loves anything as much as Richard Fortey loves trilobites). And she has a sense of humor, which makes spending time in her company enjoyable even if the topic is sometimes uncomfortable. It's not going to replace any of the above books in my heart because aquatic critters are to me what insects are to Zuk, but it was fun to spend an evening in her company and gain a greater appreciation for bees, ants, wasps and beetles.

The second was Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. There's a really cool backstory here: Riggs took genuine vintage found photographs (some got minimal postprocessing) and created a story around them. The book includes the photographs throughout.

The story itself involves Jacob, a rudderless teen from a wealthy family who only connects with his grandfather and his grandfather's wild stories about the strange people in the old photographs he has. As a child, Jacob believes wholeheartedly, but as he grows up, he begins to dismiss the tales as stories at best, outright lies at worst. A wedge is driven between them, so when his grandfather calls frantic, asking for help, Jacob dismisses it as the slipping mind of an aging man. Still, he goes to check and makes a terrible discovery.

He convinces his parents to let him visit the island where his grandfather spent his childhood in a home for children displaced by WWII (and the source of all of his odd stories). While there, he discovers that his grandfather's stories were real, the people in the photos actually existed, his grandfather left but continued to protect them, and the dangers his grandfather was protecting them from are still there and still threatening.

It's a terrific premise,and the photographs throughout really add mood to the story. It's rough in some places, and sometimes stretches too far, but it moves well and the children are fascinating. I'll certainly give the sequel a try when it comes along.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Team Everyone Else is on fire! With the books turned in today, they have read a total of 2227 pages, or 44.54 books. I, on the other hand am at 1537 pages read or 30.74 books.

THIS SHALL NOT STAND!

The Postagram postcards have started arriving, as well as some more emails. Everything we get is going up on a bulletin board, which will be photographed and shared soon. I cannot thank you all enough for getting the message out and sending your words of support--it really does make a difference. Teens who didn't even have library cards are getting them so that they can join. Kids who haven't used their cards in a while are dusting them off and checking out books. I'm getting to talk to kids about books and make recommendations, which is the highlight of any day for me. If I were to thank you a thousand times, it wouldn't be enough.

Good morning and a Happy Monday (insofar as that is possible) to you all. Your postcards and letters began arriving on Friday and I was over the moon. We've started a bulletin board to display them all (I'll take a picture soon and share), and it really started to get some attention. So Roxie from New York and Yakira from California? You made my day. Thank you.

Your letters, postcards and emails are really making a difference--we've had new patrons get cards, former patrons renew their cards, and some of our top readers join the contest. If everyone who has books checked out now reads and returns them, I've got a big challenge on my hands. If they really make an effort, I'm toast (which would be kind of awesome).

So stand up to the challenge I must, and this weekend I did so with a couple of very different books.

Up first was Alexandra Fuller's Don't Let's Go To the Dogs Tonight, Fuller's memoir of growing up in Rhodesia during the war where Rhodesia became Zimbabwe. It's unflinching and unsentimental in any way, but told with a well-developed sense of the absurd and a clear love for Africa that's absolutely compelling. Fuller does a fantastic job of getting inside her own childhood head and letting us experience things as she did, the amazing, the embarrassing, and the horrible. She shows us her family flaws and all, and we're richer for having met them.

Next came Busy Monsters by William Giraldi. I was intrigued by the description, which sounded amusing and contained giant squid, which is always a bonus. It is tremendously funny, with a great, ridiculous, looping plot, a main character who tends to mix fiction with fact and is prone to linguistic excess, and enough literary references and meta-moments to please the most jaded postmodernist. That said, I'm still not sure how much I like it. All of the things I just mentioned also serve to distance the reader from the experience of the characters and the story--you won't just fall into it and get swept away. I generally like to care a bit more about the characters and what's happening to them and spend a bit less time thinking about how clever the author is. Still, it was a quick read with some truly hilarious moments, and then there's the bonus points for the giant squid.

I'm currently reading Marlene Zuk's Sex on Six Legs, because I am a sucker for a title that makes me laugh.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Lex was a good girl: loving daughter, devoted twin, straight-A student. But at age 16 she has been possessed by a towering rage that causes her to lash out violently at everyone around her, friend or foe. Out of options, her parents send her to stay with her Uncle Mort for the summer. Uncle Mort is not what Lex expected. It turns out Uncle Mort is a Grim Reaper (scythe and all), and he wants Lex to join the family business.

Croak is Gina Damico's first novel, and it shows. It shows in her infectious enthusiasm for her characters and world. It shows in her exuberant descriptions. And it show in some uneven plotting and pacing and some short-shrifting of characters and motivations.

This is book one of a series, and it's clearly introduction and set-up for adventures to come. But it feels like a lot of set-up for a small payoff (at least in book 1). The abrupt ending is also pretty dark for a story that has been pretty humorous, albeit darkly humorous.

Still, it's a fun, quick read. Damico has an ear for snappy teen dialog and the premise is interesting enough that I'll be on board for book 2.

The third book featuring Novik's unique mashup of Napoleanic War tales and dragons, Black Powder War sees Will Laurence and his dragon Temeraire leaving China and making their way overland to Istanbul to take charge of 3 dragons eggs purchased by the British government. The journey is rough, their guide is questionable, and Laurence struggles daily with an incredibly intelligent dragon who has little respect for any authority that isn't his and who has begun to wonder at the way dragons are treated by humans.

I'm really loving this series. I should have picked it up years ago, but somehow I didn't. Clearly, I'm an idiot. Novik goes out of her way to ground these books in gritty, historical reality and to integrate dragons into her world as realistically as possible.

But as fascinating as the realism is, Novik's real gift is for characters, from Laurence, very much a man of his times who is being forced to confront the validity of many of his beliefs about the way things ought to be, to Temeraire, an extremely powerful adolescent with a curious mind and a loyal heart. The other characters, human and dragon alike, are memorable and well-drawn.

If adventure stories are your thing, you'll love the battle scenes and various shenanigans the characters get up to and you'll forget that the dragons aren't supposed to be there. If historical fiction is what you look for, you'll love the rich detail of London, China, the Ottoman Empire and daily life for a soldier in wartime. And if dragons make your heart go pitty-pat, you've simply got to meet Temeraire and Volly and Lien and the rest.

We've had a couple more sign-ups for the contest and consequently some new check-outs, but I'm still awaiting my first batch of returns so I can tote up pages. I have high hopes for today as folks often come in to stock up for the weekend.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

I've finished The Prisoner of Heaven. The sadness and loss are still there. The anger and pain are still there. The longing and love for a Barcelona that will never come again is still there. The unshakable faith in the power of the written word is still there. Twisted plots and literary allusions are still there. Beloved characters finding a small measure of happiness is still there. I desperately enjoyed all of these things that were there.

What wasn't there was an ending. Sure, there's a stopping point and even an epilogue, but really that only serves to make the story feel unfinished. There's too much of this particular story left untold. Yes, I know that this means there will be another book, and yes, that makes my cold and black little heart leap for joy. But it also means I'll have to wait, and I'm not very good at that.

I'm currently reading Gina Damico's Croak, about a 16-year old wild child who finds out that her uncle is a Grim Reaper and wants her to join the family business. So far it's a snappy read. I'll let you know how it goes.

I fell head over heels in love with Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind, so I can't wait to revisit the Sempere & Son bookshop and the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. I love the bookish atmosphere Zafon creates, but I am fascinated by his portrait of Barcelona and the history of Spain under Franco.

Suffice to say that Zafon has moved Spain up near the top of my wishlist of places to visit.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

For ease of sharing, I'm consolidating all of the current info into one blog post.

My name is Peggy Hailey, and I am a small town librarian. My library serves a town with barely over 1000 people. While we have adult readers and adults who read picture books to their kids, when it comes time to read on their own, many (most) kids don't.

My boss and I have been trying to discover ways to encourage this group of readers, and this is what we've come up with: a Reading Throwdown between Team Me (consisting of me) and Team Everyone Else (consisting of...well, you get the picture). Books must be Juvenile Fiction level (age 10-up) or higher, all books must be checked out from the library, re-reading doesn't count, and 50 pages = 1 book (so kids on lower reading levels can participate).

If Team Everyone Else wins, they get a party with refreshments that I will help provide. If I win, I get a Shrieking, Flying Monkey, the right to wear a crown (if I so choose), and bragging rights. In short, I get to be insufferable.

I'll be posting my reading log and updates on Team Everyone Else here so that you can all follow along. Feel free to join the challenge yourself, but truthfully, if you really want to help please consider sending a note of support to Team Everyone Else. The more actual evidence we have that folks outside of our tiny town actually care about reading and about this contest, the more motivation for them to beat me. You can send letters or postcards to:

Team Everyone Else

c/o Runge Public Library

PO Box 37

Runge, TX 78151

Send emails to rungepubliclibrary_a@yahoo.com and I will print them out and post them with the letters and postcards.

An utterly awesome friend points out that there's an iPhone app called Postagram that lets you take a pic from your camera roll and put it on a postcard which is then printed and mailed to the recipient of your choice with your own message. Normally .99 cents + postage, right now Postagram is giving everyone 5 free postcards (to 5 separate addresses). The postcards will arrive within a week anywhere in the US and can even be sent overseas. So all of you iPhone users out there--why not take a picture of yourself reading or of your favorite book and send that along to Team Everyone Else?

Here are the full rules for those who'd like to participate:

The contest runs July 18th through August 8th.

All books must be checked out from the library (inter-library loan counts).

Monday, July 16, 2012

First of all, thank you for the positive reaction to my upcoming reading project. It often feels like I'm whistling in the dark down here, so the warm reception for my crazy little idea is much appreciated.

Some of you have asked if there's anything you can do to help. As a matter of fact, there is. Take a minute or two to write a quick note of encouragement to Team Everyone Else--letter, postcard, or even an email. I'll gather them as they come in and post them here at the library to show them that others outside of our tiny little hamlet care about reading and are interested in the contest. Notes from authors, artists, or editors would be awesome, but any encouragement will be terrific.

Send letters or postcards to:

Team Everyone Else

c/o Runge Public Library

PO Box 37

Runge, TX 78151

Emails can be sent to:

rungepubliclibrary_a@yahoo.com

P.S.

Please pass this request along to anyone you know who could be convinced to write a short note supporting reading and Team Everyone Else.

Friday, July 13, 2012

I work in a small-town public library. A very small town. Like, barely over 1000 people. Unsurprisingly, it's difficult to get patrons through the doors, especially in summer. We just had our Summer Reading Program, and it was pretty successful. We had a good turnout for events and those who participated in the reading contest read fairly consistently.

But like many libraries, we have a huge gap in our readers. We have a lot of parents who check out picture books for their kids and read to them, but it seems like as soon as the kids are able to read on their own, they stop reading.

We've been brainstorming, trying to come up with a way to get that group in particular to come in and read more. What we finally came up with was a challenge: Me vs Everyone Else in a 3-week reading throwdown. I'll be matching my reading skills against all comers (who sign up officially at the library). If Team Everyone Else wins, they get a party with refreshments. If I win, I get a Shrieking Flying Monkey and bragging rights (in other words, I get to be insufferable).

I'll be posting a running page count (50 pages = 1 book, so younger kids can participate) and a description of the books I read here. I'll also keep y'all up to date on how my competition is faring. Please stop by regularly to check my progress—I can use all the encouragement I can get.

P.S.

For those who'd like to read along, here are the rules:

The contest runs July 18th through August 8th.

All books must be checked out from the library (inter-library loan counts).